carbamic acid
nounUK /kɑːˈbæmɪk ˈæsɪd/
US /kɑːrˈbæmɪk ˈæsɪd/
A simple chemical that plants and animals make when they break down certain nitrogen compounds.
Carbamic acid forms briefly when urea breaks down in water.
RELATED WORDS
OTHER MEANINGS
2. An unstable compound that quickly splits into ammonia and carbon dioxide.
Because carbamic acid is unstable, it is rarely isolated in the lab.
3. A parent compound of carbamate salts and esters used in industry.
Chemists study carbamic acid to understand how carbamate pesticides are made.
4. A short-lived intermediate in the breakdown of urea by the enzyme urease.
The reaction passes through carbamic acid before releasing ammonia.